For more than three decades, the Adams Avenue Street Fair has presented more and more music each year. This weekend, there will be 90 musical acts on eight stages, compared with 60 acts on six stages in 2011.

While the eight-block span has hundreds of vendors, carnival rides and four beer gardens, the emphasis has historically been a sonic one.

“We highlight the musical component of the event and push that,” said Scott Kessler, executive director of the Adams Avenue Business Association.

“When I came here in 1989, we had one stage and featured three bands. We saw music as a way to pump up the celebration. The street fair’s uniqueness is that this incredible musical presentation is still free to the general public. That differentiates us from the others.”

In keeping with its musical focus, the fair is introducing entertainment for children, in collaboration with the arts education organization Young Audiences.

“It’s called the Young Audiences stage,” Kessler said. “It’s inside the United Methodist Church, across the street from the carnival, and will have music catering to kids. We are excited about that.”

While the fair has expanded each year and most likely will continue to improve, it may now be all grown up.

“I don’t think we will get bigger,” said Kessler, whose association also sponsors the Adams Avenue Unplugged every April. “The street fair is at the limit in terms of the hours and we can’t expand the footprint any more. But we are not complaining — it’s fine this way.”

Here’s a small sample of the many musical offerings at the 32nd annual Adams Avenue Street Fair. To be on time for your favorite acts, bike, take public transportation or allow lots of time to snag a parking space.

SATURDAY

Lisa Sanders

7 p.m.-7:45 p.m., Starbucks Stage

Lisa Sanders has been captivating San Diegans with her original songs and smoky, expressive voice since the mid-1990s. A two-time San Diego Music Award winner, she has six albums under her belt and is working on a new release. Often, it’s just Sanders and her guitar, perhaps with a backup singer, but she’s equally at home with a full band. She has shared a stage with everyone from Lucinda Williams and Steve Poltz to such local mainstays as Peggy Watson and Gregory Page. Sanders can be counted on to deliver a passionate performance — with a little humor thrown in.

Agua Dulce

8:30 p.m.-10 p.m., Worldbeat Park Stage

Its music has been given many tags: Afro-Cuban, Jazz, Latin, Nuyorican salsa, samba, rock, bossa nova, funk, cumbia, reggae and ska. All the descriptions fit. When Agua Dulce wants to keep the identification simple, it uses the umbrella of Latin Soul. Evolved from jamming in a Chula Vista garage in 1997, the dynamic seven-man group is led by vocalists Dante Loiaza (also on trumpet and percussion) and Dante Thomas (also on keyboards). Their energetic mash-up of diverse musical cultures will likely invigorate the crowd.